By
Babangida Galleon
The Adamawa State Bureau of Statistics, in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics and the World Bank, has organized a five-day training workshop for enumerators on the implementation of the Adamawa State Gross Domestic Product (SGDP).
Declaring the workshop open at the Government House Conference Hall, Yola, the Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Auwal Tukur, reaffirmed the commitment of the Fintiri-led administration to pursuing its eight-point agenda, which includes ensuring the economic stability of the state.
Represented by the Chairman of the Adamawa State Planning Commission, Dr. Mary Paninga, the SSG noted that gross domestic product is a powerful economic tool that measures the monetary value of final goods and services.
“It is used to estimate the value of economic activities and identify, in real terms, sectors with potential for employment, revenue generation, and other opportunities that can lead to evidence-based decision-making for development,” he stated.
Auwal Tukur emphasized that having a state GDP will facilitate smoother budget preparation, analysis, medium-term expenditure framework, sector strategy analysis, and debt sustainability analysis.
He described the training as a welcome and timely development, complementing efforts to improve the lives of the People in the state.
He urged participants to be dedicated to the task ahead and facilitators to be diligent in imparting knowledge to the enumerators.
He also assured that the Fintiri-led administration would continue to support the State Bureau of Statistics and, by extension, the National Statistics System in achieving global recognition through statistical best practices, as enshrined in the UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics.
“Furthermore, I appeal to the major team players – ministries of finance, budgetary and economic planning, as well as other relevant organizations involved in the compilation of the SGDP- to join hands in ensuring that this exercise records success for the development of the state,” he added.
In their separate remarks, the state officer of the National Bureau of Statistics, the chairman of the Adamawa State Board of Internal Revenue, and the chairman of the governing board of the State Bureau of Statistics spoke on the relevance of data collection.
They appreciated the state government for the workshop and encouraged participants to openly share their experiences with each other.
Earlier, in his welcome address, the Statistician General of the State, Yohanna Yakubu Dzarma, stated that the significance of GDP cannot be overemphasized at both the national and subnational levels.
He highlighted that GDP creates opportunities, guides economic planning, and determines the contribution of each state to the national economy, among other benefits.
